He put his head down and covered his eyes with his paws. “You’re not helping.” She leaned over and gave him an affectionate rub. She spotted Chi-Chi opening her shop. She was wearing a beautiful yellow kaftan with matching yellow ribbons woven in her braids. “Yellow ribbons!” Luna jumped up and grabbed her laptop. She sent an email to Brendan’s last known address, quoting one of the lines from Blazing Saddles in the hope it would trigger a response. She waited patiently as Chi-Chi walked across the atrium, followed by Ellie. When the two women entered the café, Luna closed her laptop and began to make their coffee. “Good morning, my beautiful friends.”

  “E. káàrò!” Chi-Chi smiled. She looked like a big helping of sunshine. “Good morning.”

  “And a fine good morning to you! You look lovely.” Luna smiled back. “Ellie, you too are looking lovely. I especially like your shoes.” Luna pointed to Ellie’s saddle shoes. Ellie’s wardrobe was simple but stylish. Even when she was sitting on the floor of her office, she looked put-together. Maybe it was her white, blunt, chin-length haircut that gave her a sophisticated air. Not a lot of women could pull it off. Luna pulled her braid around to the front. “I’ve been thinking of cutting this off.”

  Both Chi-Chi and Ellie asked, “Why?” at the same time.

  “It’s a little dated.” Then Luna looked at Chi-Chi’s long hair. “Not yours. You do so many different things with yours. Mine is either pulled back with a headband, in a ponytail, or a braid. I feel like I’m boring.”

  “Are you saying you’re thinking of a makeover?” Ellie tilted her head.

  “I’m not sure, but I think my odd mood might be because I’m in a rut.”

  “You? Rut? Hardly,” Ellie protested.

  “Seriously. I’ve had this same Boho look for fifteen years. Maybe more.”

  “Was there something in that dresser that is making you feel passé?” Ellie asked as she pulled out a chair.

  “You have such beautiful hair.” Chi-Chi took hold of Luna’s braid. “It would be a shame to cut it.”

  “I’m finding a few gray hairs. I dunno. Maybe something to freshen it up.” She pulled her hair from Chi-Chi’s hand and scrutinized it.

  “I would suggest you wait a few days before you do anything drastic,” Ellie urged.

  “Huh.” Luna wasn’t known for waiting and wanted to take a pair of scissors to her hair immediately. “Maybe I’ll make an appointment at the salon next week. I don’t want to shock Chris.”

  “Good idea. Why don’t you ask him what he thinks?” Ellie said.

  “Ask Chris what he thinks about my hair?” Luna balked. “What do men know about hair, except when they are losing their own?”

  Chi-Chi and Ellie laughed. “That doesn’t seem to be Chris’s problem. At least not yet,” Ellie added.

  Luna’s eyes brightened. “What if I go to a wig store and try a few on? This way, I’ll have an idea of what I like and what looks good on me.”

  “Now that sounds like an excellent idea,” Chi-Chi said.

  “Sometimes I’m smarter than I look.” Luna chuckled. “But right now, I’m not thrilled with how I look.”

  “Perhaps I should help you with your makeup today. And we can do something interesting with your hair,” Chi-Chi offered.

  “For instance?” Luna was intrigued.

  “What if I do gypsy braids instead of this?” Chi-Chi picked up the end of Luna’s hair again.

  “Gypsy braids?” Luna asked.

  “It’s a mixture of box braids and loose tendrils. A slightly undone look,” Chi-Chi suggested. She pulled her phone from the hidden pocket in her kaftan and searched for photos until she found a style she thought would look good on Luna. “Like this.”

  “I like it. And I like that ombre coloring too,” Luna said, referring to the gradient change from medium brown to brownish blond.

  “Do not get ahead of yourself or me. Let us start with the braids. But I do agree. The colors would look nice with your complexion.”

  Luna checked the time. “How long will it take?”

  “About an hour.”

  “Do you have time now?”

  “I do not. But I can do it before we go to dinner.”

  “Perfect. I’ll surprise Chris when we meet up with the guys later.”

  Ellie brought her cup and plate to the sink. “That sounds like a very good plan. I must get to work, but I want to see your masterpiece before you leave.”

  “Leave it, Ellie. I’ll take care of it,” Luna called over to her.

  “Thank you, dear. Have a good morning.” Ellie gave Wylie a pat on the head before she went out the door, followed by Chi-Chi.

  Luna checked her email. No response from Brendan. Nothing. Strange. She scrolled through the contact list on her phone. Brendan Nelson was still there. She sent a text. Sometimes people responded to text messages faster than email, and sometimes people would only send text messages. They didn’t even call anymore. Social media. The Internet. All an illusion of communication. People spewed out messages, hoping someone would care. Someone would listen. Luna flicked herself on the cheek and repeated Ellie’s words: “ ‘Let’s not be cynical, dear. As long as the people you care about communicate with you, that’s all that matters.’ Right, Wylie?” He let out a low yowl. “At least you pay attention.”

  The minute the center opened, people began pouring in. It was slightly overcast, which brought folks inside, but they were still able to have lunch outside on the patio, walk through the gardens, or take their pooches to the dog park.

  Luna glanced across the inner lavish courtyard and noticed a sign on Jennine’s door. She couldn’t read it from where she sat, so she picked up the walkie-talkie and buzzed Chi-Chi.

  “What’s up with your neighbor Jennine?”

  “I do not know. Why do you ask?

  “There’s a sign on the door. Go see what it says,” Luna urged.

  Chi-Chi huffed. “If that is your wish.”

  “Well, it is. And it should be yours, too. Remember, she’s out with your brother. What if something happened?”

  “You make a good point. Hold on.” Chi-Chi walked over to Jennine’s door. “It says, ‘Be back in a jiffy.’ What does this jiffy mean? I hear it all the time, but it makes no sense to me.”

  “It’s a unit of time. Some argue it’s one-one-hundredth of a second, while others claim it’s one-sixtieth of a second. Because it’s such a quick period of time, it’s become slang for very fast.”

  “I do not know if I will ever understand your slang.”

  “Well, we’ve got plenty of it.” Luna laughed, then went back to the original question. “I wonder where Jennine went?”

  She had barely finished her sentence when Jennine appeared from the back of her shop, wearing what looked like lingerie. “Oh, Chi-Chi,” Jennine said. “I’m so glad you’re here. What do you think of my outfit? Do you think your brother will like it?”

  Chi-Chi was aghast. Her first reaction was to say, “Only if you’re going to a bordello.” That was a word she knew. Instead, she took the polite route. “I am not sure where you are going, so it is difficult for me to have an opinion.”

  Jennie flashed her capped teeth. “Well, I know where I want to go.” She winked at Chi-Chi.

  “I am certain you do.” Chi-Chi’s stomach was turning somersaults. “I thought you were going to go out to dinner.”

  “Oh, yeah, that too. So whaddya think?”

  “I think it’s very . . . diaphanous.”

  Jennine furrowed her brow. “Dia-what?”

  Chi-Chi thought quickly. “Gossamer. Delicate.” She was not accustomed to stretching the truth, and those two words were the only ones that were appropriate, other than calling the outfit cheesy or flimsy.

  “Yes. Delicate. Exactly what I was going for,” Jennine cooed.

  In addition to my brother, Chi-Chi thought to herself. “I made a reservation for you at Blue Ridge.”

  “Fancy.” Jennine was impressed at Chi-Chi’s choice of restaurants. “Glad I went home to change.”

  “I must get back to work.” Chi-Chi turned and moved quickly to her shop. She clicked on her walkie-talkie. “We will not be going to Blue Ridge,” she said to Luna.

  “Whatever you say. So, what is Jennine up to?”

  “What do you think she is up to?”

  “From here, it looked like she was getting ready for a role in an old Hollywood movie.”

  “I do not like horror pictures.” Chi-Chi smiled at her own joke.

  Luna chuckled. “You’re funny. It doesn’t matter where we go, but we should call ahead.”

  “Yes. Let’s go to the steakhouse. I need a piece of red meat.”

  “Wow. Jennine really gets under your skin, doesn’t she?” Luna asked, knowing the answer.

  “I do not want to discuss it. We shall eat meat, creamed spinach, and baked potatoes.”

  “You got it, girlfriend. Let’s leave at six. Sabrina and Lucy already agreed to cover for us.”

  “Excellent.”

  “What time is Abeo arriving?” Luna asked.

  “Around five. That will give me one hour with him, and then he will be on his own.” Chi-Chi snickered.

  * * *

  It was just after three when Chris arrived at the center. First stop was Luna’s. She was with a client at her easel while Sabrina covered the front. If Luna had a reading, she would pay Sabrina or Lucy extra money to mind the café. Chi-Chi was right. Luna had more clients than she could handle and was feeling a little guilty about pulling the pages away from their regular routine. But no one seemed to mind. Stillwell Art Center was an oasis of cooperation.

  Chris tipped his fingers in a salute and motioned he was going to Cullen’s. Before the guys headed out, they stopped at the café to discuss their plans for later. Chris immediately walked over to Luna and gave her a hug and a kiss. On the lips. Very important. They all figured they would be finished with their dinner around the same time and decided to meet at Luna’s for a nightcap. Afterward, Chi-Chi would go back to her—hopefully—empty house. She and Cullen still hadn’t slept with each other, and Chi-Chi was adamant about keeping it that way. At least for the time being. Not that Cullen ever made a move. They kissed plenty, but only in private, and that’s where it ended.

  * * *

  The guys drove to the exhibit center, chatting about the latest baseball stats. Chris wanted to tell Cullen about his promotion, but also wanted to tell Luna first. Maybe he’d make an announcement after dinner. Then he had second thoughts. It should be something they shared together. In private. He also didn’t want to discuss the impending custody battle. That was a lot of important information he had to keep to himself for a few more hours. Once they arrived at the car show, it was easy to be distracted. The smell of polish and leather filled the exhibit hall. Everything from a 1912 Ford Model T to a 1969 Chevy Camaro and a Volkswagen bus were on display, fetching tens of thousands of dollars. The bus had a sticker price of 63,500 dollars, more than a current luxury SUV. Cullen was amazed. A green 1955 Chevy Bel Air caught his eye. Then the price tag made him do a double take. That, too, was over 63,000 dollars.

  Chris made his way over to a 1959 red Ford Thunderbird with a V8 engine. “Only twenty-five-thousand dollars. Not bad, really.”

  “I always figured you for a T-bird or a Mustang,” Cullen remarked. Then he turned to Chris. “Maybe this isn’t such a bad idea after all. I’m going to chat with the owner of that Bel Air and see if I can get a fix on what investment in time and money is required in order to make a profit.”

  “I’m going to continue to drool over this baby.” Chris leaned into the window of the driver’s seat. It was in excellent condition. But did he really need a new car? He strolled among the other pristine cars. It could be a good hobby, if he ever had the time.

  About an hour later, Cullen caught up with Chris. “Sorry. I really got a boatload of information. Most of these guys love to talk. And talk. And talk.”

  “I get it. The T-bird dude was trying to talk me into buying that car. I had to walk away, because he almost had me pulling out my credit card,” Chris said.

  “It is a beauty,” Cullen added.

  “Don’t encourage me. I have a lot on my plate, and buying a new-old car isn’t on the table right now.” He thought for a moment. “Did that come out right?”

  Cullen laughed. “Spending too much time with my sister, eh?”

  “Actually, no. Don’t tell her, but I really do miss her.”

  “Wow. Don’t tell me that, either!” Cullen joked.

  Chris couldn’t keep it in any longer. In fact, it might be a good idea to run his thoughts past Cullen. “Listen, I’m about to embark on a very serious mission.”

  Cullen looked stunned. “Seriously?”

  “It’s not work-related.” He was saving that tidbit for later. “Lucinda and Bruce are moving to Chicago. He has an opportunity to join a practice there. So I’m filing for full custody.”

  “That is a serious mission. I suppose you have no other choice, right? It would be terrible for all of you if Carter had to move.”

  “Correct-o-mundo. I can’t let her take Carter to a city where major crime is up and he’s eight hundred miles away.”

  “She can’t just up and leave, right?”

  “Not if I have anything to say about it. Besides, we have a binding agreement, and neither of us can take Carter out of the state without notifying the other person. She wanted to do this just between us. Didn’t want to go the legal route. Doesn’t she realize I work in law enforcement? I knew she was an airhead, but I didn’t think it was filled with helium.”

  Cullen let out a guffaw. “Wow.” This time, it was a different kind of wow. A heavy load kind of wow.

  “We were in my lawyer’s office the other day to discuss this, and she left in a huff.”

  “Shouldn’t she have her own lawyer?” Cullen asked.

  “Yes, but I wanted someone to start the conversation. See how she’d react. I could have bet on her having a hissy fit.”

  “She can’t possibly think she can just up and leave with your son.”

  “She thinks being a mother is some kind of free pass for anything. ‘A boy needs his mother.’ That routine. And from what Carter said, she has very little interaction with him. You know what he told me? He said he felt like a visitor when he was at his mother’s house. It nearly broke my heart. A kid shouldn’t have to feel that way with his own mother.”

  “Wow.” Cullen’s vocabulary was reduced to monosyllabic words. “And he never said anything to you?”

  “Not a word. But Carter is like that. He doesn’t want to disappoint me. Her. His teachers. He’s a borderline overachiever. But I’m not going to discourage that, unless it becomes a problem.”

  “Parenting is no picnic,” Cullen pondered.

  “Carter and I have a great relationship. He’ll talk to me about anything. Anything except how he feels being at Lucinda’s. I guess the problems there have become more evident to him the older he gets. When he was younger, he had a lot of distractions. Lucinda’s parents would visit on a regular basis, so he was usually surrounded by people who paid attention to him. They moved to Scottsdale, so he rarely sees them now. Plus, he’s going through puberty.”

  “Wow.” Cullen blinked several times. “I don’t know how you do it. I can barely figure out my sister, let alone be responsible for a kid. And I’ve known her for almost forty years.”

  Chris laughed. “I don’t know if anyone will ever figure out your sister, but it’s fun trying.”

  The two walked to their car and drove to one of Chris’s favorite bistros. Good food, casual atmosphere. They continued their conversation, with Chris saying, “I’m worried about how Luna is going to take this change. It’s going to be a pain in the butt until the legal work is wrapped up. Lucinda is not going to go quietly, but if the judge gives Carter the option of staying with me, she will have the biggest conniption in the history of North Carolina.”

  “She wouldn’t dare just take him, would she?”

  “She may be a helium-head, but she’s not completely daft. She knows she would be committing a federal crime by taking a child illegally out of state, and as it happens, I am a federal marshal who works in child abductions.”

  “Excellent point.”

  “Besides, I think Carter would put up a fight. He knows the rules. And he doesn’t want to go. We discussed this the other night. We’re lining up our ducks, and I’m preparing for a lot of screaming and yelling. On her part, not mine.”

  “What does Luna think about all this?” Cullen asked.

  “I haven’t told her yet, so please don’t mention this to her until I have the opportunity. What I want is your opinion. What do you think she’ll say? Her reaction? If I get full custody, it’s going to change things. When she comes to Charlotte, Carter will be at home with me. And it will be a challenge to come here every other weekend, unless I can find somewhere for Carter to go. Maybe he can stay at a friend’s, but we’re not there yet. It’s going to be an adjustment, for sure.”

  Cullen sat quietly for a moment. “Luna loves you. And she loves Carter. Sure, it will be an adjustment, but Luna is a free spirit. She’ll go where the universe takes her.” Cullen smirked.

  Chris laughed. Cullen wasn’t wrong. If it felt right, Luna would go with the flow. He hoped it would feel right to her.

  They finished their dinner, got the check, and drove to Luna’s house. Chris had left his car at the center; Luna was going to drive him back there the next day. The lights were on, and soft bossa nova music glided from the windows. They could hear Chi-Chi singing along with the sultry music. Had she any idea how seductive she was? The men looked at each other as if reading each other’s minds. “I give you a lot of credit, my man,” Chris said. “I’d be taking a cold shower every night.”

  “Don’t think I don’t.” Cullen snickered.

  Luna greeted them at the door and gave Chris a peck on the cheek. Chi-Chi continued to sing and sway to “The Girl from Ipanema” by Antônio Carlos Jobim. Cullen thought the words—about a man who does not know how to tell a woman he loves her—could not be more appropriate at that particular moment.